Pine Marten Post #10
Hello lovely person!
April awesomeness includes; terrific tulips, fabulously fresh fragrance, a solitary swallow, chunky chocolate and getting (partially) naked.
Gardening tips for April
Are you enjoying gorgeous displays of tulips where you live? Or could your local area do with some brightening up next spring? If so, I have the perfect tulip to recommend for you.
Tulip Ballerina is a rare kind of tulip. Not rare in the expensive sense of the word, but unusual because it combines many attributes in one glorious flower.
It's deliciously fragrant for a start. A warm and spicy honeyed orange kind of scent. Unique in a tulip.
Tulip Ballerina is also a perennial spring flowering bulb. Which means you can plant them one autumn and they will appear in successive springs.Most tulips only flower for one season, which makes them a bit of an indulgence for me, as I prioritise plants that keep on giving, year after year.
And finally, it seems to be a bit more weather resistant than some tulips. Gamely dancing in squalling showers and shrugging off slashing rain with ease, this is no delicate prima donna. What a wee stoater.
And would you just look at that blazing colour 🧡
Bulbs, as always for me, are from Peter Nyssen.
Fragrant musings from the library of scent: Knize Forest by Knize
A crisp, invigorating and friendly perfume. Knize Forest takes you gently by the hand and leads you deep into the welcoming woods.
Top Notes
All is harmonious with a chorus of sparkling fresh citrus notes. A gentle wave of lavender warms and softens.
Heart Notes
Woody herbs make a wonderful entrance. Lilting melodies of rosemary, sage and oregano. A sweet, enticing hint of clove.
Base Notes
Gnarled roots of timeless trees offer warm vetiver and sandalwood. Drifting on the breeze — a hit of spicy ambergris and labdanum.
Sensory Impressions
An ancient wood, full of venerable trees beckoning to you to explore within.
A single shaft of golden light illuminates your way—
tuffets of peridot velvet oakmoss,
tiny birds fluting sweet songs.
Winding shady paths,
deeply grooved bark,
copper leaves rustle underfoot.
Distant stream
whispers.
Wear this if you want to feel…
Uplifted, enchanted, at peace
Nature notes for April
Brisk breeze chasing down my collar. Folding down my cuffs to
cover my hands, I glance up, and there. The very first
swallow of the year. Swooping and scything on the blustery
gusts.
Shimmering from the bank above a chuckling burn, tiny violets -
faintly and freshly scented - gaily open their wee faces to a
flirtatious sunbeam,
sparkling its golden warmth across the pot-holed lane.
Lambs - still wobbly around the knees - nuzzle at the warm and
woolly flanks of their mothers.
Tap-tap, thrummmmm——a busy woodpecker drums from a stately
horse-chestnut tree,
hidden away up high in the gradually unfurling
baby dragon’s wing leaves.
Featured chocolate: Tony’s Chocolonely - milk, almond, honey, nougat
If I describe Tony’s Chocolonely milk, honey, almond, nougat as a super fancy version of Toblerone, that only skims the surface of its deliciousness.
True enough, the crunchy nutty pieces are present and correct, as is the honeyed chomp of the nougat.
And the quality of the high cocoa content milk chocolate shines through with every fabulously chunky morsel.
But it’s their efforts towards creating 100% slave free chocolate that helps this incredible brand stand apart and above most others.
Random Scottish fact: What does ‘taps aff’ mean?
We’ve had a couple of warm days here on the West coast of Scotland. Well, when I say warm, the temperature’s been hovering around 14-15C. And people start behaving differently when it’s not so freezing.
The biggest indicator of better weather here is youngsters stripping off their tops, or taps.
So, ‘taps aff’ literally means tops off. It’s a big deal around here in the frozen north. Especially at this time of year.
From a sensory perspective, I think it’s not so surprising. Feeling the warm sun and a gentle breeze caress skin that’s been hidden under layers and layers of stiflingly heavy clothes all winter. Giddily embracing a sense of lightness and liberation when you shed that physical weight.
On the blog and LinkedIn:
Could you save yourself some time and ditch most of your weeding?
What does having fun look like to you?
PS As ever, all products mentioned here are paid for by me, Rowan Ambrose. And all words and photos, unless credited, are by me too.
⭐PPS Thanks for being here——I really appreciate your time x ⭐
I'd love to hear about what sensory experiences bring you joy.
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